Effect of antioxidants on hyperoxia-induced chromosomal breakage in Chinese hamster ovary cells: protection by carnosine

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Abstract
We have studied the effect of various compounds, known as antioxidants, on the level of hyperoxia (80–90% O2)-induced chromosomal aberrations in Chinese hamster ovary cells: ascorbic acid, α-tocopherol, carnosine, imidazole-4-acetic acid, glutathione monoethylester, N-acetylcysteine and ethoxyquin. Carnosine (β-alanyl-histidine) appeared to be the only compound that reduced chromosomal breakage. The effect was also present in cultures post-treated with caffeine (at 2.5 mM, 3 h before harvest), indicating that the apparent protection was not due to selective arrest of chromosomally damaged cells in the G2 phase of the cell cycle. Imidazole-4-acetic acid, a compound structurally very similar to carnosine, had no detectable effect. Ascorbic acid, N-acetycysteine, glutathione monoethylester and ethoxyquin were found to have a pro-oxidant effect, i.e. they apparently potentiated the clastogenic effect of hyperoxia. Carnosine is the first compound shown to protect against the clastogenicity of normobaric hyperoxia and may thus be a useful tool in elucidating the underlying mechanism.

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